Watermarks
by EverlastingBliss
Summary: The stains are not tears, not blood. It is just water, right? Itachi-centric.


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Watermarks

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_You have nothing._

_No names._

_No past._

_No future._

_Nothing._

_There is only the mission._

_Welcome to Anbu._

* * *

"Our mission is to slay the entire village," the captain of the squad, only thirteen, informed his group. "They have been leaking information out to Iwagakure."

No one asked anything. A mission is a mission, even if it involves killing commoners.

"Move out."

The slaughter came easily to them after years of hardened training. Above, the moon hid its face, unable to watch as screams languished in the dark and the smell of blood drifted into the air…

The captain, hardly more than a boy, proceeded directly to the house in the very centre of the mining-based town. Within it lived the chief of the village.

He unsheathed his sword, the sound of metal resonating in the empty yard. Taking a deep breath, he kicked open the door.

The family inside leapt to their feet at the intruder, staring in horror at the masked figure bathed in silver by the moon.

Before they could even scream, Itachi rushed forward.

He killed the child first, slashing the cradle in half without sparing it a glance. The mother jumped, shocked by Itachi's speed, as he slashed her husband from behind. Spinning around, he ran her through with his blade.

He watched, Sharingan blazing, as pleading filled her dying eyes.

"Spare _him_," she whispered, before he retracted the blade, letting the limp body drop to the ground.

Itachi knew very well who she is talking about. The boy had run from the room the moment he entered.

He walked slowly through the hallways, saturated in the smell of death. The scrape of metal accompanied his footsteps as the tip of his sword dragged itself across the wooden floor.

Finding the boy was easy enough, a shivering shadow in the corner of a bedroom. Looking up, the boy took one look at Itachi before burying his face in his knees.

_Spare him._

Itachi shook his head at the woman's naiveté as he raised his sword, moonlight gleaming off of its blade.

The blade never fell.

Slowly, Itachi closed his eyes, arm still raised.

The boy can't be much older than Sasuke, with messy black hair and dark, if not black, eyes.

_Sasuke._

With one smooth motion, the sword is back in its sheath. Turning, Itachi left as quietly as he had come.

* * *

"Is that everyone?" the eldest Anbu inquired as Itachi approached the waiting Anbu. His eyes flickered away from the dark stains on their clothes.

"Yes," Itachi said firmly, keeping his eyes on their masks, on the areas unstained by blood.

The Anbu seemed sceptical.

"Let me check," a man with a dragon mask said, as he formed the tiger seal, closing his eyes to concentrate.

Within seconds his eyes flew back open.

"_No,"_ he said, glancing at Itachi disapprovingly. "There is one more presence in the village. It seems that our captain has failed."

"Tiger," Dragon motioned to another Anbu. "Help me finish him off."

Tiger nodded, and they were gone in an instant, two darker blurs against the dark sky.

"Well," commented Monkey, the only remaining Anbu besides Itachi. "Guess we fire users will have to clean up this mess, _captain_," he said mockingly. "'Leave nothing but ashes,' was the order."

Itachi nodded as he untied his mask. "You go first," he ordered.

Monkey shook his head.

_Kids these days._

As he proceeded to untie his mask, a glimmer in the corner of his vision caught his attention.

"What is that on your cheek, captain?" Monkey asked, appalled. "Don't tell me you are crying."

Itach's hands flew up to his face.

_Wetness._

"Sand got into my eyes earlier," he answered, shrugging as he wiped off the streaks of water.

"It is nothing."

* * *

"Nii-saaaaan!!"

Itachi winced as Sasuke threw himself into his arms, putting pressure on a recent wound.

"I drew a picture for you!!"

Gently pushing Sasuke off, Itachi accepted the crumpled paper and smoothed it out, squinting at the stick figures.

_Is that him? With spiky hair? And…did Sasuke draw their father with….is that a moustache?_

The corners of his mouth twitched.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes?" Sasuke dragged him to sit down on the porch beside him.

"Why did you draw yourself as tall as me?" Itachi pointed to stick-figure Sasuke.

"Because you are too tall, Nii-san," Sasuke said jubilantly as he stood up. He could barely see over Itachi's head on tiptoe, and Itachi was sitting down. "Drawing myself the same as you means that I am going to be just like you, one day."

A rare smile grazed Itachi's lips, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

"When you grow older, you may no longer want to be like me, Sasuke," Itachi said quietly, patting Sasuke's head.

The motion made Sasuke bow his head, and as he did, he spotted dark stains on Itachi's clothes.

"Nii-san," he said, moving to touch them. "Is that water?"

Itachi caught Sasuke's hands before he could make contact. "Of course it is," he lied, gently pushing Sasuke's hands away.

"It smells funny," Sasuke stated, pinching his nose.

"Ah, well the place where I carried out my mission was not pleasant," Itachi assured Sasuke. "I was fighting in a swamp."

Sasuke tilted his head. "A swamp? Is that like a lake?"

"Kind of," Itachi said, relieved that Sasuke believed him. "This is just water."

Sasuke looked at Itachi, hurt evident in his eyes. Suddenly, he turned and ran inside the house, not bothering to take off his shoes.

"Mom!!" Sasuke hollered, running up the stairs. "Nii-san went swimming in a smelly lake and he forgot to bring me!!"

"Sasuke, wait!" Itachi started to stand up, but changed his mind.

Looking down, he touched the stains, feeling the stickiness of blood.

"Of course it is water."

* * *

Taking one last look at Sasuke's still figure, the only one still with a heartbeat, Itachi sheathed his sword and left Konoha, the village that has put him through hell.

A drop of water landed in his wake, glittering.

* * *

"You know, Itachi," Kisame's voice broke the Uchiha's concentration.

Itachi's eyes flickered with slight annoyance as he, ignoring the rain, continued to stare into the rain, feeling for Sasuke's chakra.

Sasuke, who supposedly died fighting Deidara.

"If I didn't know any better," Kisame continued, ignoring the glare Itachi sent in his direction. "I would have thought that you are crying."

Itachi stiffened.

"I mean," Kisame was persistent. "It _is _your little brother, after all."

He turned around, face completely composed. "Sasuke is still alive," Itachi informed his partner flatly.

Kisame's eyes widened.

Itachi walked past him, eyes closed. "Besides, what were you talking about?" he said, the ghost of a smile grazing his features as water streamed down his face.

"It is raining."

_Just water_

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_The end_

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